Mayor Kasim Reed joined Bolton Atlanta, LP General Manager Yanfeng “Frank” Chen and Gallman Development Group, LLC CEO Bruce Gallman to officially break ground on Castleberry Park, a new mixed-use development in Atlanta’s Westside. The new $90 million development will offer approximately 130 apartments, a rooftop deck with panoramic city views and amenities including a clubroom, dog wash area and a package-delivery center. It will also feature ground level commercial space for restaurants and other retail, as well as a public park and a centrally located parking garage. In addition, Castleberry Park will include a 200-room Hard Rock brand hotel. The property is slated to be completed in 2019.
Other ceremony attendees included Invest Atlanta President and CEO Dr. Eloisa Klementich, Central Atlanta Progress President A.J. Robinson, Atlanta City Councilmembers Ivory Young, Kwanza Hall and Cleta Winslow, Horwath HTL Managing Director Paul Breslin and Castleberry Hill Neighborhood Association President Carrie Sagel Burns.
“Castleberry Park is yet another example of how our Administration is keeping our promise of promoting revitalization and equitable development in Atlanta’s Westside neighborhoods,” said Mayor Reed. “Castleberry Hill has already established itself as one of Atlanta’s most vibrant arts communities, and welcoming a new complex with a Hard Rock brand hotel is a perfect addition to the neighborhood. The new development is steps away from the Mercedes-Benz Stadium, and will serve as an economic catalyst for the area.”
Invest Atlanta, the City of Atlanta’s economic development authority, has approved a grant of $4.2 million from the Westside Tax Allocation District to assist with the project, which will help ensure that 20 percent of the new apartments in the development are affordable units.
“Invest Atlanta continues to focus on delivering strategic investments in projects throughout the Westside TAD, and we are proud to work with Bolton Atlanta, LP and Gallman Development Group to bring Castleberry Park to fruition,” said Dr. Eloisa Klementich, President and CEO of Invest Atlanta. “Thanks to our partnership, this new complex will offer more affordable housing options for working families within the City of Atlanta.”
The Reed Administration has made it a priority to revitalize Atlanta’s Westside, and has worked to bring new public and private resources to support economic and civic development in the area.
Last year, the City of Atlanta pledged more than $30 million in new infrastructure, greenspace expansion and to fund Martin Luther King Jr. Drive streetscape improvements, which will transform the iconic road into a connected corridor with a Complete Streets approach.
In addition, Mayor Reed partnered with Atlanta business leaders to establish the Westside Future Fund. The Fund serves as a catalyst for philanthropic and corporate support to accelerate improvements in the health, education and welfare of current residents, address equity and social justice issues associated with new residential and commercial development, and attract new investment, new jobs and new residents.
In September 2015, the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development awarded the City of Atlanta a $30 million CHOICE Neighborhoods Implementation Grant, which has already enabled the city to leverage additional public and private funds to assist in revitalizing five Westside neighborhoods.
In June 2016, the City of Atlanta received the Promise Zone designation, which allows the City to work strategically with HUD and other federal agencies to boost economic activity and job growth, improve educational opportunities, reduce crime and leverage private investment to improve the quality of life in the “Westside Promise Zone,” comprised of the historic Atlanta University Center neighborhood, Ashview Heights, Vine City, English Avenue and Castleberry Hill.